volleysparkle Makeup

The Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain is Jordana's take on the popular lip crayon trend. The shade Tropical Frenzy (03) is a fairly bright fuchsia pink & Candied Coral (04) is an orange coral.

Tropical Frenzy and Candied Coral are pretty pigmented, especially if you build them up. They don't really have a smell, which I prefer over the minty smell that a lot of lip crayons have. These balm stains feel nice and light on the lips and give about 2 hours of wear before losing the gloss and turning into a stain. The only downside these products have is that they fade in the middle of your lips, leaving you with a thick lip liner look.

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Tropical Frenzy (Built Up - left and One Swipe - right) and Candied Coral (Built Up - left and One Swipe - right)

Both Tropical Frenzy and Candied Coral appear brighter and more vibrant in the sunlight than in the shade or indoors.

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Tropical Frenzy (Built Up - left and One Swipe - right) and Candied Coral (Built Up - left and One Swipe - right)

Other than the fading in the middle of the lips, I have nothing bad to say about these balm stains and I think that they are a great option for a lip crayon versus one that's more expensive like the Revlon Balm Stains.

The texture of each of these shadows is very creamy. With one swipe you get more of a wash of color, but they are easily built up to the shade in the pan & in my swatches. The only downside to these cream shadow quads is that they aren't very water resistant, unlike the Maybelline Color Tattoos. However, the Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadows are smoother, come in a wider variety of colors & are obviously not single shades.

The Nyx Xtreme Lip Cream in Nude Peach Fuzz is a neutral peachy pink in a liquid lipstick format.

The Xtreme Lip Creams have a typical doe-foot applicator and apply like paint to the lips, making it not the quickest and easiest lip product to apply. (The application is very similar to the Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquers) However, the formula of this product is so creamy and buttery which makes the application worth it. Nude Peach Fuzz is extremely pigmented and doesn't need any layering to get the color intensity shown in the swatch. I found that Nude Peach Fuzz had a wear of about 3 to 4 hours on me. The only thing bad I have to say about Nude Peach Fuzz is that it has this weird plasticy smell.

If you are unfamiliar with the Nyx Butter Glosses, they have a thicker formula but they are not goopy whatsoever. They are much more pigmented than an average gloss and has a great color payoff. They aren't the slightest bit sticky and I actually find them to feel quite moisturizing. The finish of the Butter Glosses is quite glossy and shiny. The gloss lasts for about 2 hours and the color lives on for about 3 hours. I also really like that each shade in the Butter Gloss line is consistent in formula as well as color payoff.

(Keep in mind that the swatches are not in the same order as the product photos, they are in order of how close they are in color)

The Starlooks Khol Eye Pencil in Obsidian is a matte black eye liner that is designed to "glide across delicate lids without pulling". This liner came in my September Ipsy Bag.

This eyeliner is fairly smooth, but it is not the creamiest liner I have come across. Sadly, this liner does tug on the lids, even though Starlooks claims that they glide without pulling. The shade Obsidian isn't the most intense black, but that can be good for a softer eyeliner look. For some reason, this liner would not apply to my water line. I kept moving the pencil back and forth and no liner came off onto my waterline or tightline.

Starlooks Khol Eye Pencil in Obsidian ♥ Shade

In the swatches, the first line is created with the tip of the liner and is just one "swipe". The line in the middle is a built up color and the line on the right is a built up wavy line.

Starlooks Khol Eye Pencil in Obsidian ♥ Sunlight

Unfortunately, this liner was definitely not smudge-proof. I let the swatch set for two or three minutes and it smudged everywhere when I rubbed the liner with my finger, and I didn't even rub that hard. This is very disappointing and there are so many great drugstore eyeliners that are cheaper than this one and work amazingly! (Although, I would like to point out that this is a khol liner which can be smudged out for a smokey look, so if that's what you are wanting a black liner for, then this may be for you!)

The NYX Single Eye Shadow in the shade Sparkle White is a shimmery white-ivory shadow that came in my September Ipsy Bag.

This shadow has a smooth texture and is quite pigmented. It's not buttery smooth like shadows from the Naked palettes or shadows from the Lorac Pro palette, but I found that this shadow was more smooth and soft than most drugstore shadows. However, the shimmery finish does cause some glitter fallout, especially if you aren't careful when applying.

Sparkle White Swatched - Shade

Sparkle White Swatched - Sunlight

I'm very impressed with the pigmentation of Sparkle White and plan on buying some other shadows from Nyx sometime soon!

The Maybelline Color Whisper in I Crave Coral is a coral orange shade from the Limited Edition Summer 2013 collection. I found mine on clearance at Ulta with some other LE shades, and decided to post swatches in case anyone comes across this one and wants to see some pictures of it!

I Crave Coral has the same lightweight feel that all the Color Whispers have. You can get a subtle orangey coral color with one swipe, but it can also be built up to a nicely pigmented shade. I Crave Coral appears to have no glitter or frost whatsoever, which I really like.

I Crave Coral - One Swipe (left) & Built Up (right)

I Crave Coral - One Swipe (left) & Built Up (right)

After an hour or two of wear, it can feel a little bit waxy and I find it to be the best to reapply around this time. Since it's a more sheer lip product it's easy to apply quickly without a mirror.

The Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Hot Tamale is a red-pink cream-to-powder blush with a satin finish.

The Dream Bouncy blushes have a squishy texture to them that I really like. Due to this cream-like texture, I find the best way to apply the blush is with your fingers and then blending it out with a dense brush. The texture of this blush also makes it stay exactly where you apply it, so be careful. Hot Tamale was water resistant, but not waterproof.

The Maybelline Color Whisper in Strike A Rose is a limited edition muted pink with a shimmery/frosty finish. This shade was from the Summer 2013 collection, but I believe you can still find this one.

I have to say that I am disappointed in the finish of this Color Whisper. I didn't realize that it was frosty until I tried it on at home. Some people like a frosty finish, but it's just not for me. The color, while looking gorgeous swatched on my arm, doesn't really show up on my lips, leaving me with just the frost finish to show.

Maybelline Color Whisper in Stike A Rose ♥ One Swipe (left) & Built Up (right)

The feel of this Color Whisper is consistent with the other Color Whispers, being lightweight and feeling waxy after an hour or two. This one felt a little bit gritty because of the shimmery, but it wasn't bad.

The Butter Gloss in Strawberry Parfait is a nice fuchsia. The Nyx Butter Gloss in Vanilla Cream Pie is a nice neutral pinky mauve.

The Nyx Butter Gloss line is my favorite line of lip gloss, so I had to get 2 more of them! The formula of the Butter Glosses is great, they are not sticky and just feel comfortable on the lips.

Strawberry Parfait & Vanilla Cream Pie Swatched - Natural Light

Both of these glosses are very pigmented, but don't look like a liquid lipstick (like Nyx Xtreme Lip Cream or Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer). The pigmentation is perfect, they add some color, but not too much. The Butter Glosses are also known for their sweet scent which I am not the biggest fan of, but it you can't smell it when wearing the gloss & it has kind of grown on me.

Strawberry Parfait & Vanilla Cream Pie Swatched - Sunlight

I will have a post of ALL the Nyx Butter Glosses swatched next to eachother coming soon!